You Just Never Know

My husband, Dan, traveled to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.  Friday night, he and his colleague decided to rent a car and drive home instead of fly from Vegas to LA- LA to Santa Barbara.

So drive they did.

Around 8 pm the car pulled in the driveway. We said goodbye to Joe and hurried in to get out of the cold.  I had the fireplace roaring and a beautiful meal ready so we could sit down and catch up on life.  There was so much to say after a week of quick conversations between meetings and appointments, we talked most of the evening and fell asleep to a Netflix movie later that night.  All was well in the Mender household...

....we thought.

Saturday morning we stuck to our usual routine: 8 am Dojo for a kickboxing class, then the farmers' market for our fresh fruits and veggies.  So far so good.  Upon our arrival back at the house, I hear Dan rummaging around in the office and walking swiftly back and forth through the house.  

"Have you seen my computer?"  He asks.
That's when it began to get interesting.
He called Joe to see if perhaps he left it in the rental car....not there.
"I think I left it on top of the car !"
So off we went looking in the gutters on our street. Surely it slid off in the driveway or very close to home.  Maybe a neighbor found it or maybe a jogger picked it up or maybe it is smashed to smithereens having been run over by a car in the middle of the night! We searched the neighborhood, and still  nothing.

What are we going to do next?  Not much we could do, so I say to Dan, "I'm going to post this on the Nextdoor site.  You never know who may have picked it up or where it could be so what the heck, let's try it."
You may have seen my post about the Mac Book Air missing in action posted last Saturday morning.  Not having a choice we went on with the weekend, trying to forget that come Monday morning we would have to pull our heads out of the sand, replace Dan's computer.

In spite of it all, we did have a very nice weekend.  We purchased a new computer and just as we were  reloading it with a back up hard drive on Sunday night, the phone rang.  A man named Chris calling to say he found a Mac Book Air on Friday night on the corner of State and Las Positas about 830 pm.  He and his wife we going to dinner at Stella Mares with San Roque neighbors Jim and Jennifer T.  Jim and Jennifer saw my post on the Nextdoor site on Saturday and called their friends' who live on the Mesa !  Immediately, we went over to pick up what remained of Dan's computer.  The clamshell is smashed and the screen shattered, but it can be repaired, more importantly the data is fine.

I love this story about the amazing power of communication to set the universe in motion to work in our favor.  You just never know what remarkable events can happen with our fantastic network of neighbors.  Thank you Jim & Jennifer !

Angel on the Corner

Rain or Shine, just like clock work, Monday thru Friday on the corner of Calle Noguera and San Roque Road "Olgita", our beloved crossing guard, is there to shepard the kids across the street to and from school.  She is no ordinary crossing guard; she is someone very very special.  She has a smile and a joyous wave for everyone! Walkers, bikers, drivers and passengers alike.

Olga is one of those rays of sunshine, she is our very own angel. Depending on the time of year, she will dress like a leprechaun, the Easter Bunny, a witch and decorates the corner for the season and puts a smile on everyones' face! This time of year she dresses up like Mrs Claus.
I am not alone when I say she made going to school for my girls one of their favorite childhood memories.  In 2006 she was named one of Santa Barbara's local heroes by the Santa Barbara Independent.

It's a long, long way from the dirt floor of her family home in a small town in Sinaloa, Mexico to Santa Barbara CA.  Olga Rodriquez was born into a poor family, one of nine children.  She was a third grade little girl when she abandoned her formal education to help the family survive.  As a young woman she left Mexico 37 years ago seeking a better life in the United States.  Like so many others, she scraped together enough money to pay a "coyote" to cross her into the states near the Tijuana and San Diego border.  Her first job was as a house keeper and she worked for the same family for 2 decades. She married, had two sons then lost her husband almost 20 years ago leaving her to raise her two sons alone. Martin and Pedro are grown men now.  Martin is a banker in West Hollywood and Pedro is employed locally and lives with his wife, Brittany, and young daughter, Mia.  Both of these fine young men speak with deep admiration for their mother;  I don't know if I have ever encountered two more loving and grateful sons.

Olga became a US citizen in 1986 and has worked as a crossing guard for the City of Santa Barbara for the past 13 years. I asked Olga what keeps her smiling and so upbeat, her answer did not surprise me knowing her for over 12 years. "I am a lucky person and I want to share my love with everyone...Making other people happy is the thing that makes me most happy".
There are so many wonderful things to know about Olga and many reasons why she is so special.  For me it's knowing their is a faithful and loving angel on the corner of my street making sure kids cross the street safely on their way to and from school.   She is like a member of my family, while I no longer require a babysitter when I did she was the one I entrusted to care for my young daughters.  They love her and she will always have a place in our hearts.  She is someone you should really take the time to know.  You will see kindness and optimism personified if you do.  She can also hook you up with a lady that makes fantastic tamales to enjoy over the holidays.  Stop and say hello and let her know how much we appreciate having her in our community.

Top Ten Reasons to LOVE Where You Live

(in no particular order) 

1. Nextdoor leads nationwide experienced negative comments and discord on their community sites during political season......not us!  Nothin but love here, pat yourself on the back.

2. Recently I met a newcomer to Santa Barbara, moved from the Hamptons to have his daughter attend Santa Barbara High School for the Visual Arts and Design Academy. ( Nationwide there are only two programs like it....)  His hearts desire is to buy a home in San Roque with his two teenage kids, why?  He has met more friendly people in 4 months than he did in 10 years on the East Coast.

3. You guys are generous, recently I sponsored a small clothing drive to benefit Care Closet at the Fellowship Club.  I was overwhelmed with the amount of gently used warm clothing donated.  Thank you!

4. In October Nextdoor held a nationwide membership drive in each of their communities, there are over 1000, San Roque was a top performing neighborhood and we won $500  to throw ourselves a block party!  I will likely get this organized in the Spring stay tuned.

5. In a recent unscientific and informal conversation with a local police officer, CRIME Is DOWN for us in San Roque....most excellent news.

6. The city of Santa Barbara posted 39 recent building/improvement permits for the San Roque area, our neighbors are improving their homes and the neighborhood.

7. The Neighborhood Garden Exchange.  See the news feed for the latest gathering and share your garden's bounty.

8.  We have an outstanding sense of community.

9. San Roque has been voted the best neighborhood many times in the The Santa Barbara Independent.

10.  Local businesses are consistently voted the best in Santa Barbara too! Chaucers, Glenda's Party Cove, Skin Deep.  

How Blessed we are to live where we do. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my neighbors!

Cosmic Noise Meets The Canvas

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting our neighbor Sol Hill for a chat and to learn more about his work. You could say Sol is a photographer and you would be correct and you could say he is an artist and you would also be correct. Sol thinks of himself as a mix media artist. Imagine the  marriage of photography with cosmic noise stretched on a canvas then brushed with varnish.  The process of blending lens based digital imaging with the gesture of the hand physically brushing texture on canvas. Cosmic noise in this context means the result of false exposure on a digital sensor coming from the influence of heat, electrical current and other "cosmic energies".  What does that look like?......... It looks like unexpected beauty.

By removing the recognizable details of a photograph and replacing them with "lyrical textural detail" Sol has found a way to produce poignant and emotional images often mistaken for paintings. By getting away from the literal he creates contemporary multimedia works of art that are truly captivating.

Sol spent his childhood bouncing around between divorced parents in nine different states.  Both of his parents are artists.  His father is a sculptor and his mother works in pencil, mixed media and ceramics.  His parents founded Hill's Gallery in Santa Fe New Mexico, one of the first significant contemporary art galleries in Santa Fe.  He reflects back on those years as a gift that gave him an unusual perspective. One that has given him very a diverse sense of spirituality, culture, and economic convention. All of which drive him in his expression through art.

Sol and his wife Cleo came to Santa Barbara in 2007, He received his MFA from Brooks Instituted in 2010. When they came to Santa Barbara they were set to live on the Mesa, until they very fortunately discovered San Roque.  It was love at first sight and they were able to land a beautifully remodeled rental for a while and have since found a place to buy.  They have a 9 year old son Luca who is in 4th grade at Peabody Charter School.  Sol told me Luca runs out of pencils at school because he is a "doodler".  Perhaps there is an upcoming artist in the Hill family?  Cleo is from Sao Paulo Brazil and they often travel there to visit her family and enjoy the rich culture.

I asked Sol about his favorite not to be missed, place to enjoy art and was happy to learn it is in Santa Monica! http://www.bergamotstation.com    Check out the website, what a great way to spend a weekend immersed in the art nexus of Los Angeles.  Enjoy the galleries, the museum and have some lunch at the cafe.

You can see pieces of Sol's work locally at the Channing Peake Gallery at the Santa Barbara County Building on Anacapa, Also at the Santa Fe Pop up gallery Called Hill's Gallery Remix, if you are in Santa Fe and In Chicago at the SOFA Art & Design Show http://www.sofaexpo.com.  He also has a home studio here in San Roque and has an open studio sale coming up.  Sol offers fine art portrait commissions in his unique cosmic noise style. Check out Sol's website to view more of his incredible collection.  http://www.solhill.com/

Would you like to be profiled in the San Roque Spotlight? Let me know.

Want to warm your heart?

 

(click play then read)

Timing is a mystery if you know what I mean.  Today was a wonderful day for a wedding and I was blessed to witness a wonderful young couple tie the knot at San Roque Church this afternoon. Not as a guest you see but as a "Wedding Coordinator" in service to the parish.  So much joy and promise for the future, hope and optimism.  A beautiful thing.

 The Spotlight this time is on a man in our community named Jerry Bellamy. Jerry happens to be a retired Ordained Catholic Priest (inactive status) who performs non-denominational weddings throughout the state.  In my inbox just this afternoon, were his responses to my interview questions. And, because the wedding today has me in the mood to write about the subject of weddings....

Meet Jerry Bellamy

Over 40 years ago as a young man Jerry entered the seminary and spent the next 12 years on various assignments throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Including Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Raphael's parish in our community.  While there, he was head of the Non-Denominational Chaplain program at SB County Jail, SB Juvenile Hall and Los Prietos Juvenile Detention Facility.  In 1981 he made the decision to leave full time ministry because he wanted to be married and raise a family.  And that he did.  He met and married a local wonderful woman named Adrienne Nunez. Adrienne holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and has taught at SBCC Adult Ed for 25 years. Together they have two adult children.  Beatrice Nunez-Bellamy and Timo Nunez-Bellamy. Both of whom are professional Flamenco artists.  What's more is Beatrice is Assistant State Attorney General for the State of Maryland, and Timo is a professional producer and actor who performs on TV, in movies and other venues all over the world!  It's safe to say Jerry made the right decision to marry and have offspring! 

Jerry tells me he has performed over 7000 weddings over the past 40 years.  He's fluent in Spanish and in fact teaches ESL night classes through SBCC and has done so for the past 26 years.  Much of his time is spent on the road because he will go to San Diego and up to San Francisco for destination weddings. He has seen it all over the years from the most humble of weddings to the most lavish.  Bet he has some great stories. (Wonder if he's met bridezilla?) 

I asked (Father) Jerry to share a great piece of advise about marriage and this is what he said. "Love is a decision. There are feelings of love, thank goodness, but in essence, love is a decision.   Feelings come and go in frequency and degree, but a person can still love someone else and even themselves, while feelings go up and down."  He also shared his closely held belief that when you ask you shall receive.  Just look at his life.  He asked for a wife and a family, and with effort and determination,  his dreams, hopes and his potential have been realized.  And it's a safe bet that he's not finished yet. I'm glad to know Father Jerry, do we have some fabulous neighbors in San Roque or what??  

I like his style I found this quote on his website. 

 "What makes people holy is not how religious they are. What makes people holy is how LOVING they are. "

 How can one argue with that?

Check out his website here and if you know of a couple looking to tie the knot you know who to call.

 http://www.santabarbaraweddingminister.com/                                                 

Would you like to be in the Spotlight?  Let me know. 

What the heck is a False Puppet??!

Well let me tell you they are a legit Rock and Roll band home grown right here in San Roque..it all started when three kids at Peabody Charter School entered the talent show in 2004.  Channing Peake and brothers Tyler and Brennan Benko were taking guitar lessons from classically trained guitarist and 3rd grade teacher Sam Adams after school at the time.  They found they had a unique sound and a love for making music together. 

 By the time they got to Santa Barbara Junior High School they had a large following locally and had established themselves as local celebrities.  The momentum continued to grow from there and they have played at many high schools throughout the state, major regional festivals, lots of clubs, like the House of Blues and on the Vans Warp Tour!  This weekend they played at the Guac and Roll Main Stage at the Avocado Festival in Carpinteria.  Launching their professional careers 2 years ago they continue to build on their success.

They are currently all three attending Santa Barbara High School, and are active in sports and working hard academically.  Having known their families for a number of years I can tell you these are lucky guys indeed.  Their parents are there to support them every step of the way, in fact their dads, Matt and Ziggy are their roadies.  Moms Lorind and Denise are often seen dancing the night away front and center and are definitely their biggest fans! It's clear they are all very proud of them and rightly so. They are always gracious and friendly to their many adoring (female) fans.

They play and sing many cover songs from some favorite American bands like The Rolling Stones, I recently heard them perform some original songs at an event for a local non-profit and I was very impressed. In fact they have the attention of the music industry and are in studio working on a CD of original music that will be released sometime this fall.

These young guys are great examples of a strong work ethic, and dedicating yourself to your passion.   I know you will join me in wishing them all of the success and propsperity the future has to offer. They promised to remember where they came from when they hit the big time, maybe a concert in the quad at Peabody??

Check out their You  tube channel  falsepuppetchannel

Facebook page facebook.com/falsepuppet

Web site  www.falsepuppet.com

Meet Peabody Principal Demien Barnett

Chaucer's Fundraising Night Date: 9/27/2012  Time: 7:00 PM–9:00 PM

Watching families walk to Peabody Charter School every morning brings back fond memories of our years there.  Many of you will remember principals Pat Morales and Kate Ford, fantastic women who were instrumental in making Peabody one of the most sought after schools in our city. Which makes San Roque one of the most sought after communities in Santa Barbara!  Not only is it a beautiful place with a state of the art Exploration/Community Center, but it ranks consistently high academically compared to other schools state wide. 

Meet the new principal at Peabody Mr Demien Barnett

Mr Barnett comes to Peabody from Washington Elementary School on the Mesa where he was principal for five years.  Prior to that he was Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the San Luis Obispo Coastal District.  He grew up in Capitola, Ca. and attended University of California Santa Cruz.  He and his wife have been together for 23 years, she is a professor of computer science, together they have two sons, ages eight and five.  

Mr Barnett says he always knew he wanted to be an educator and calls himself a "life-long learner in a profession that is grounded in a strong sense of moral purpose", which he says is important to him. 

He is a passionate educator and wakes up each day on a mission, and with a core set of values that drive his commitment to educate and prepare children for success in the 21st century.  It sounds like the kids at Peabody are in great hands!

He agreed that there are concerns about traffic and safety around Peabody before and after school and Mr Barnett would like to remind all of us to exercise caution and watch our speed.  SLOW DOWN please when driving through the school zone.  

Peabody is very well know for the annual Jog-a-Thon, that last year raised over $145,000.00 to fund Drama & Music, Ceramics, PE, Sports Day and the annual Track Meet.  The Jog-a-Thon, held  in March each year, is the biggest annual fundraiser for Peabody. So keep an eye out for when the Peabody Panthers come around the neighborhood, and please be generous when asked to sponsor them in the jog-a thon!

For more information about our beloved neighborhood school please see 

www.peabodycharter.org